Glitter (2001)

7% of critics liked it
(86 reviews)
45% of users liked it
(43,434 ratings)

The acting debut of pop music diva Mariah Carey loosely traces the singer's real-life trajectory to fame. Carey is Billie, an impoverished girl growing up in a tough New York neighborhood abandoned by her drug-addicted mother and dreaming of stardom. Billie gets her big break when her group's demo… More The acting debut of pop music diva Mariah Carey loosely traces the singer's real-life trajectory to fame. Carey is Billie, an impoverished girl growing up in a tough New York neighborhood abandoned by her drug-addicted mother and dreaming of stardom. Billie gets her big break when her group's demo tape is heard by Julian Dice (Max Beesley), an infamous bad boy DJ and record producer in the club scene of the early '80s. A volatile relationship soon develops between Dice and Billie while her professional life takes off, leading to fame, fortune, and heartbreak. Glitter is the sophomore film of actor-turned-director Vondie Curtis-Hall and co-stars Eric Benet, Dorian Harewood, Ann Magnuson, Terrence Dashon Howard. and Da Brat. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 44 min.
Directed By: Vondie Curtis-Hall
Written By: Kate Lanier
Genres: Musical & Performing Arts, Drama

In Theaters: Sep 21, 2001 Wide
On DVD: Jan 15, 2002
Studio: 20th Century Fox

Critic Reviews

Christy Lemire, Associated Press
The best parts of this dud are the ones in which she's singing. This is what she does best. This is what she should stick to. Save your money and watch her videos for free on cable music-television networks.
, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Glitter lacks sparkle.
Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune
A vehicle that tarnishes as you watch it, leaving this troubled chart-topper lost in a sea of drunken, maudlin cliches.
(CNN.com) Paul Clinton, CNN.com
Total escapism without a shred of believability.
Megan Rosenfeld, Washington Post
We don't have much space to tell you about Glitter, so we'll be blunt. This star vehicle for singer Mariah Carey is primarily a showcase for her breasts.
Carla Meyer, San Francisco Chronicle
A derivative mishmash of cinematic and real-life situations.
Felix Vasquez Jr., Cinema Crazed
The movie is bad.
Guylaine Cadorette, Hollywood.com
Nothing redeemable could possibly have come out of Kate Lanier's ill-fated script.
Mark Halverson, Sacramento News & Review
Vondie Curtis-Hall tries to invigorate the bland script by careening his cameras throughout the streets and club life of Manhattan while Carey's glorious voice is drowned out by sheets of off-key cliches.
Kamal 'The Diva' Larsuel, 3BlackChicks Review
A guilty pleasure.
Colin Kennedy, Empire Magazine
Heroically bad.
, Time Out
This fails to convince on several levels: Carey's assumed edginess; Beesley's faltering Brooklyn accent; turns from such celebs as rapper Da Brat and soul vocalist Eric Benet; the half-hearted '80s references and the haphazard retro effects.
Martin Scribbs, Low IQ Canadian
A disaster like no other, Glitter has as its jaw-dropping highlight what I have to believe is the only scene of seduction by vibraphone ever filmed.
Tyler Hanley, Palo Alto Weekly
Mariah Carey should have taken an acting class from Marky Mark Wahlberg. The first lesson: start small.
Rebecca Murray, About.com
It was almost physically uncomfortable watching the performances in Glitter.
Ed Gonzalez, Slant Magazine
The DVD incarnation of the campy Glitter deserves much more than what's offered here.
James Sanford, Kalamazoo Gazette
your standard-issue "I turned around and I was famous" melodrama, set in an implausibly wholesome-looking 1983 club world, where most of the folks dress oddly, but generally are just about as nice as pie.
Collin Souter, eFilmCritic.com
If nothing else, at least it killed a career. Max Beesely looks like a porno Luke Skywalker...The Shaggs had more talent.

Read all 18 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Featured Audience Ratings

Wildaly M

Mariah Carey = super cliche movie.
Keysha H

When I worked at a video story we kept this film in the horror section. Nuff Said.
Leigh R

Pretty lame.
Nate Z

[font=Arial][color=darkred]It must be seen to be believed. A new college crap-fest drinking game has begun. Begin the 'Glitter' midnight shows! A new age is upon us! Forget the BC/AD time change, this is larger. Our land will now be known in two segments of time, Before… More
[font=Arial][color=darkred]It must be seen to be believed. A new college crap-fest drinking game has begun. Begin the 'Glitter' midnight shows! A new age is upon us! Forget the BC/AD time change, this is larger. Our land will now be known in two segments of time, Before 'Glitter' and After 'Glitter'. It truly is the dawn of a new age. Here are a few handful of 'Glitter's bon-mots it serves up to its audience :[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]-Mariah Carrey is shown leaving her real mom (black mom too) at age 8 with her kitten. Somewhere through 'Glitter' she has a fight with her boyfriend and takes her cat (yes the very same immortal cat that must have been pushing 20) and leaves.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]-She has a fight with said boyfriend and they both try and write a love song to show their remorse. Except they BOTH come up with the EXACT same song word for word, note for note, and NO ONE thinks this is the creepiest thing ever.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]-The movie freakin' ends with Carrey's boyfriend getting shot and killed. Yes, this is truly how the thing ends. Oh, like any of you cared about plot spoilers anyway.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]-Da Brat is in it for "comic relief."[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=#8b0000][/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=#8b0000]-The movie is inexplicably set in the 1980s for no reason.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]No wonder Carrey was shipped into the Looney bin. Anyone would have to be crazy thinking 'Glitter' ever remotely resembled art. It's so bad it's awesome to watch. Bring some friends over, open up some alcohol, and let the fun times begin.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]Nate's Grade: F, like it matters though[/color][/font]
Haley A

The oppostie of the title.